Dark Portal
The Dark Portal was the gateway between Azeroth and Draenor, which allowed the Horde to invade. The portal is located in the southeastern reaches of the Blasted Lands of southern Azeroth. Creation of the Portal The portal was created by joint effort between Medivh and the warlocks of the Shadow Council. The Azeroth gateway was in the Black Morass, which became the Blasted Lands due to the portal's effects. The Draenor side was located on the Hellfire Peninsula. This portal bridged the distance between the worlds of Azeroth and Draenor, and it was large enough that armies might pass through it. Gul'dan immediately dispatched orc scouts through the portal in preperation for the coming invasion. The armies of the orcs poured through the portal into the unsuspecting kingdom of Stormwind, beginning the First War. Beyond the Dark Portal Following the defeat of the Horde in the Second War, the Dark Portal was captured by the forces of the Alliance of Lordaeron. Hoping to end the threat of the orcs, the Archmage Khadgar attempted to close the gateway to Draenor. While the structure was destroyed, the link between the worlds remained as a tear in the fabric of reality. To keep watch over the remnants of the portal, Nethergarde Keep was constructed. Using a magical cloak of darkness to escape the detection of the mages at Nethergarde, the Bleeding Hollow clan used the rift to return to Draenor. Hearing the Bleeding Hollow's tales of Azeroth, Ner'zhul, planned to open a number of portals on Draenor that would lead the Horde to new worlds to conquer. To procure them, Ner'zhul reopened the Dark Portal and sent his forces through. King Terenas of Lordaeron, convinced that the orcs were preparing a new invasion of Azeroth, assembled his most trusted lieutenants, including Khadgar and the paladin Turalyon, to form an expedition through the portal to put an end to the orcish threat once and for all. Ner'zhul finally opened his portals to other worlds, but he did not foresee the terrible price he would pay. The portals' tremendous energies tore Draenor apart. As the planet died, Grom Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye led their clans through the Dark Portal back to Azeroth. The Alliance forces remained on Draenor, agreeing to make the ultimate sacrifice by destroying the Dark Portal from their side in order to prevent that world's destruction from destroying Azeroth as well. There are indications they may have taken one of Ner'zhul's portals to another world. They may also have survived Draenor's destruction, and remain in the shattered realm now called Outland. The Dark Portal has remained dormant ever since. Speculation in World of Warcraft (Now Confirmed) thumb|The Portal on the Azeroth side, as seen in World of Warcraft It has been confirmed that the first expansion for World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, will focus on the realm of Outland, as accessed through the reopened Dark Portal. * According to commentaries on the "Making of World of Warcraft" DVD, the Dark Portal can be re-opened by Warlock players in-game, to allow players into Outland (formerly Draenor). * New information suggests that opening the Dark Portal will be a World Event added in the Burning Crusade expansion. This was confirmed at Blizzcon on October 29, 2005. In a recent introduction to Burning Crusade, Blizzard announced that a relic of the past has surfaced, radiating renewed energy. This relic has enabled Lord Kazzak to activate the current Dark Portal. The news conflict with the rumor that Warlocks in-game would open the Dark Portal. Nethaera: "Things change in the progression of ideas and development. What you refer to was something that was batted around as a possible idea. What you see now is what is being implemented because we feel it works best for what we want to accomplish. I'm sure some people are disappointed because they felt it was a sure thing or at the least had hopes it was a sure thing. " - Posted 2006-09-14 Blizzard Quotes Block: "Will there be any special areas in the game that require a lot of effort before they can be entered?… …The Scarlet Monastery is an example of a quest area that requires a small amount of effort to unlock, as players merely need to find a key to gain access to the more advanced parts of the Monastery. Conversely, opening the Dark Portal is an example of a very difficult and epic quest that would require lots of effort on the part of many Warlocks to complete." - Posted 2004-08-13 Katricia: "Can players visit the Outland? Players can visit the Outland once it becomes available. The Outland will become available through players summoning the Dark Portal. This will be a server-wide, world altering event. Once the portal is opened .. it will remain opened for good, allowing all players' access to the Outland." - Posted 2004-03-22 The Portal in Burning Crusade In the closed beta, it has been revealed that there is a flight path next to the Dark Portal, and also a quest item that will take the player to Honor Hold for the first time. The flight path is connected directly to Honor Hold, which is a good ways west of the Portal - providing players with a quicker way to get from the Portal to Honor Hold and vice versa. See also * Dimensional Gateway Category:Lore Category:Transportation Category:Coming Soon Category:Burning Crusade Category:Zone:Blasted Lands Category:Zone:Hellfire Peninsula Category:subzones